In the United States do people have to resign government or executive positions to run for president and vice president of the country?

The reason that Sarah Palin resigned as governor was unrelated to running for vice president. She was facing a number of charges of corruption and mishandling of her position. She resigned rather than face them.

No, they don’t have to resign unless and until they get elected.

Obama was elected President in 2008, four years into his six-year Senate term.

The governor of Illinois appointed an interim two-year Senator. In 2010 a new Senator was elected.

And that’s why Rod Blagovich is famous.

American Senators have a 6 year term. McCain was elected to the senate in 1986, and reelcted in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010. When he ran from President in 2000 and 2008, he was able to maintain his Senate seat.

When Bob Dole ran for President in 1996, he resigned his Senate seat, to focus on the campaign, and to make sure everyone understood it was all or nothing for him.

Conversely, Joe Lieberman ran for both the Senate and Vice President in 2004. Had he won the VP, he would have resigned the Senate seat.

Don’t allow Sarah Palin’s chicken shit resignation to cloud the issue. Take her out of the picture and the rest makes sense.

She didn’t retreat in order to “reload” as she prefers to say. She simply didn’t want to face the music.

Kind of difficult to contemplate the possibility of a future run for President while sitting in a jail cell. (Not that that would likely happen, but it is a satisfying mental image :)

No. Isn’t that ridiculous? People can nominally “hold their job” (whether they actually perform it or not) and run for another one, and we have to pay them while they run.

@Buttonstc and @LostInParadise, why would Palin’s resignation stop her from a legal action? That doesn’t make sense to me.

@bk

I doubt that it would defer any prosecution efforts for charges which they know will stick (hence my half-facetious jail cell remark) but it does take her out of the spotlight of being a current (rather than past) office holder.

I also think she realized she could make a ton more money doing speaking tours and focusing on her book and subsequent sales.

Obviously she didn’t much mind leaving the state of Alaska in the lurch with the attendent costs of replacing her.

She’s got her fame and fortune following McCain’s selection of her as his running mate, so why bother finishing what she started.

To say that Jesse Ventura, for one, was disgusted with her “quitter” attitude was putting it mildly indeed.

But if she sits out the Obama years quietly, she may well be better positioned for a future Pres. run. Who knows ?

She’s not anyone I’d ever imagine voting for so I really don’t care all that much what she does.

With the notable exception of her decision to not abort and to raise Trig, I have little respect for her and her political policies. She’s pretty shallow and vacuous IMHO.